Abstract:
Building a climate-resilient and low-carbon health system is a crucial part of global health adaptation actions to climate change. This study systematically reviewed the strategies of international authoritative institutions and the practical paths of major countries, providing references for the low-carbon construction of China's health system. Through the summary of policy documents, action plans, guidelines, and standards from international authoritative institutions such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as major countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Japan, and China within the past five years, it was found that an initial framework for the construction of a low-carbon health system has been established internationally, covering the entire chain of projects including green upgrades of buildings and infrastructure in the health system, low-carbon transformation of energy structures, full-chain carbon management of supply chains, sustainable disposal of medical waste, and innovation in service models. Most countries set 2030 as a key node to anchor their emission reduction targets, incorporate green building standards into the construction norms of medical facilities, promote the replacement with renewable energy through policy incentives, reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain through full-chain optimization, and explore new paths for service-side emission reduction through digitalization and community-based initiatives. However, they still face common challenges such as insufficient connection between goals and implementation, and incomplete monitoring systems. Aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan's goals for enhancing the ability to cope with climate change, this commentary suggests that the climate-resilient and low-carbon construction of China's health system should draw on international experience, establish a standardization system, strengthen the overall planning and cross-departmental collaboration mechanism among health departments, and expand practical scenarios and technological innovation, systematically promoting the transformation from policy frameworks to practical implementation.